Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what plans there are for an all-island animal cruelty register.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs: An all-Ireland register of animal welfare offenders can only be created if such a register was considered feasible in both jurisdictions. No register exists in the Republic of Ireland nor are there any plans to create one there.
My Department has considered this matter extensively in the past and concluded that the creation of a register is untenable. The situation remains that a clear evidential need has not been identified, the costs of establishing and maintaining a register would be significant and the data protection implications involved are prohibitive.
However, if Assembly colleagues or stakeholders advocating for a register can provide additional evidence to support the establishment and operation of a register, which could include where any such register has worked effectively elsewhere, my officials will consider any such detail received.
I am conscious that an objective of any such register would be to ensure, as much as possible, that those banned from keeping animals do not obtain animals again.
My Department remains available to discuss with stakeholders other ways of working together to minimise the possibility of these instances occurring.
ENDS
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